The present invention relates to ophthalmology and more particularly to an eye drape for covering body surfaces surrounding the eyeball and for protecting the eyeball during eye examination and surgery.
Surgical drapes are made in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for covering portions of the body. Drapes help maintain a sterile environment during surgery and help prevent foreign matter and organisms from entering the immediate vicinity of the surgery.
In ophthalmologic examination and surgery, eye drapes are frequently used to surround and protect the eyeball. One type of drape has a central hole or opening, the drape material being used to cover the portions of the body surrounding the opening. Another type of drape, the incise drape, is a continuous piece of sheet material which is placed over the eye and an opening is cut to expose the eye and surround it with the drape material. Both types of drapes can effectively cover the exterior of the eyelids and surrounding skin but cannot readily cover the interior surfaces of the eyelids. The eyelids and eyelashes are particularly important to cover because they represent a potential source of bacteria and other contaminates. Eyelid retractors, which pull the eyelids back from the eyeball, are used in many procedures, but it remains important to drape or cover the eyelids, even when retractors are used.
Covering the eyelids with a surgical drape usually occupies several minutes or longer at the start of a surgical procedure, requiring careful arrangement of the drape to cover surrounding body surfaces to the extent possible. In some cases, adhesive-backed drapes are used to cover problem areas such as eyelids. Nevertheless, even with the expenditure of time and great care, conventional drapes can only cover the exterior or exposed surfaces of the eyelids. They do not protect against bacteria and contaminates from the glands and membrane surfaces on the interior of the eyelids. Eyelashes present a similar challenges and must usually be covered, retracted or trimmed. To fully cover even the exterior surfaces of the eyelids and lashes remains a challenge.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a drape for covering the anterior and interior surfaces of the eyelids in order to protect the eyeball during examination and surgery. In particular, the drape of the present invention covers the interior of the eyelids and the eyelashes, together with the exterior of the eyelids and other surrounding body surfaces, thereby substantially reducing the risk of bacterial and other contamination from the eyelids.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drape for covering the anterior and interior surfaces of the eyelids which is retained in place surrounding the eyeball by a non-adhesive, generally annular member attached to the sheet material of the drape, reducing the reliance on adhesive surfaces in direct contact with the eyelids and thereby reducing the potential for contamination from failure of an adhesive.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of covering the anterior and interior surfaces of the eyelids by a process which includes installing a drape having a retainer which is shaped to generally surround the eyeball. The retainer extends beneath the upper and lower eyelids along the upper and lower palpebral sulci. After the retainer is installed, the portion of the drape which extends radially outwardly from the retainer is spread over those portions of the body surrounding the eyeball. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the retainer is adjustable in size so that it may be exactly conformed to the palpebral tissue of the eye being draped.
Accordingly, the invention provides a drape for covering the anterior and interior (i.e., posterior) surfaces of the eyelids, to protect the eyeball during examination and surgery. The drape comprises a retaining means which is insertable beneath the upper and lower eyelids for fitting generally within the upper and lower palpebral sulci. The drape further includes a sheet of thin, flexible membrane material generally surrounding the retaining means and attached thereto. The sheet extends from the retaining means over the eyelids and peripherally outwardly from the eyeball.
In a preferred form of the invention the retaining means is a unitary, deformable, retainer ring which is generally circular or elliptical and adjustable in size. It also includes a positioning arm extending radially outwardly from the retainer to facilitate installation and size adjustment. Alternative embodiments of the sheet material of the drape are provided, including a generally planar sheet extending circumferentially outwardly from the retainer and a sheet which includes additional fabric adjacent the edge where the sheet is joined to the retainer, for fitting beneath the eyelids.
The invention additionally includes a method of covering the anterior and interior (i.e., posterior) surfaces of the eyelids. The method employs the eye drape of the invention, including a retainer attached to flexible sheet material along the edge of the central opening. The drape is installed around the eyeball by inserting the retainer beneath the upper and lower eyelids, generally along the upper and lower palpebral sulci. The method of covering the eyelids further includes the step of spreading the drape radially outwardly from the eye, after the retainer is installed.
In its preferred form, the method of the invention, when used with a drape having a retainer which is adjustable in size, includes the step of inserting the retainer beneath the upper and lower eyelids while the retainer is sized smaller than its final adjusted size. The next step is then to increase the size of the retainer to a size which ensures that the retainer fits snugly beneath the eyelids along the upper and lower palpebral sulci. When the method is performed with an embodiment of the retainer which includes a positioning arm extending radially outwardly from the retainer, the step of installing the drape further includes positioning the drape around the eyeball with the positioning arm located generally over the outer canthus of the eye.